Harvard Medical School in the newshttp://medicalxpress.com/
en-usprovides the latest news from Harvard Medical SchoolResearcher outlines promising paths for cures, including targeted therapy, RNA medicine, and immune therapyIn recent years, cancer patients have benefited from a new array of weapons to fight the disease. Traditional chemotherapy and radiation therapy—blunt clubs aimed at any fast-growing cell in the body—have been augmented by "targeted therapy" drugs that interfere with specific cellular functions in an attempt to block cancer growth.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-12-outlines-paths-therapy-rna-medicine.html
OtherWed, 07 Dec 2016 08:40:02 ESTnews400322269Patients who choose doctors with low office visit prices save hundreds of dollars per yearPatients who choose primary care doctors with low office visit prices can rack up considerable savings on overall health care costs, according to new research from Harvard Medical School.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-12-patients-doctors-office-prices-hundreds.html
HealthMon, 05 Dec 2016 18:15:15 ESTnews400184105Gaps in gender equality may fuel disparities in cognitive achievementSlight gender variations in attention scores have been well documented, but a new study from Harvard Medical School suggests that these minor gaps widen significantly in places with lower gender equality.http://phys.org/news/2016-12-gaps-gender-equality-fuel-disparities.html
Social SciencesFri, 02 Dec 2016 06:37:12 ESTnews399883020Researchers find chemical tag that locks chromosomes together during meiosis Chromosomes perform an intricate dance inside the nuclei of cells undergoing meiosis (dividing into sperm and eggs). One stumble can lead to infertility, miscarriage, birth defects or tumor formation.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-12-chemical-tag-chromosomes-meiosis.html
GeneticsThu, 01 Dec 2016 09:15:07 ESTnews399806088Building better nanodiscs: Improved tool provides unprecedented view of viral infectionHarvard Medical School researchers have improved the design of tiny nanodiscs—synthetic models of cell membranes used to study proteins that control what enters and leaves a cell. The enhancements provide an unprecedented view of how viruses infect cells.http://phys.org/news/2016-11-nanodiscs-tool-unprecedented-view-viral.html
Bio & MedicineTue, 22 Nov 2016 08:10:20 ESTnews399024607Specific types of serotonin neurons modulate aggressionHow does a small cluster of fairly homogeneous brain cells that make the neurotransmitter serotonin regulate so many functions, from breathing to mood to appetite?http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-11-specific-serotonin-neurons-modulate-aggression.html
NeuroscienceWed, 16 Nov 2016 07:00:02 ESTnews398501553Single-cell sequencing takes a census in developing mouse heartsIt's not simple, making a heart.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-11-single-cell-sequencing-census-mouse-hearts.html
CardiologyWed, 16 Nov 2016 06:53:31 ESTnews398501584Mammalian bone gene may be repurposed to fuel cognition in humansA gene that regulates bone growth and muscle metabolism in mammals may take on an additional role as a promoter of brain maturation, cognition and learning in human and nonhuman prim ates, according to a new study led by neurobiologists at Harvard Medical School.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-11-mammalian-bone-gene-repurposed-fuel.html
GeneticsWed, 09 Nov 2016 13:00:08 ESTnews397897127Protein PartnersAs proteins go, the sirtuins are the cool kids, attracting attention for their connection to aging and age-related disorders. Sirtuins' home base, mitochondria, is also known for its role in health and disease.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-11-protein-partners.html
Medical researchFri, 04 Nov 2016 07:40:02 ESTnews397463851Mouse decision-making more complex than once thoughtWorking with dot-counting mice running through a virtual-reality maze, scientists from Harvard Medical School have found that in order to navigate space rodent brains rely on a cascade of neural signals that culminate in a single decision that prompts the animal to choose one direction over another.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-10-mousedecision-making-complex-thought.html
NeuroscienceMon, 24 Oct 2016 07:19:14 ESTnews396512345How and why researchers revised the genetic recipe for E. coliesearchers in the laboratory of George Church, Robert Winthrop Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and a core faculty member at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard, are working to produce the most modified bacterial genome to date. The researchers believe the method they developed will help others who are trying to make many edits at once to any organism's genome.http://phys.org/news/2016-10-genetic-recipe-coli.html
BiotechnologyWed, 12 Oct 2016 08:10:01 ESTnews395476524Head-to-head comparison reveals human physicians vastly outperform virtual onesIncreasingly powerful computers using ever-more sophisticated programs are challenging human supremacy in areas as diverse as playing chess and making emotionally compelling music. But can digital diagnosticians match, or even outperform, human physicians?http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-10-head-to-head-comparison-reveals-human-physicians.html
HealthMon, 10 Oct 2016 11:00:19 ESTnews395304745Scientists devise a more accurate way to gauge blood sugar averages in diabetesCombining the power of advanced math with tests commonly used to measure blood sugar, scientists from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital have created a new model that more accurately accounts for long-term blood sugar fluctuations in people with diabetes. The disease affects more than 422 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization and more than 29 million Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-10-scientists-accurate-gauge-blood-sugar.html
DiabetesWed, 05 Oct 2016 14:00:38 ESTnews394894821Human DNA tied mostly to single exodus from Africa long ago (Update)A study of hundreds of new genomes from across the globe has yielded insights into modern genetic diversity and ancient population dynamics, including compelling evidence that essentially all non-Africans today descend from a single migration out of Africa.http://phys.org/news/2016-09-human-dna-tied-exodus-africa.html
Archaeology & FossilsWed, 21 Sep 2016 13:31:00 ESTnews393683448Scientists discover molecular handle behind some cancers' preference for fatCancers are such notorious sugar addicts that PET scans searching for the disease light up when they detect sugar-gobbling tumor cells. But a handful of cancers appear to favor fat over sugar, a propensity that has long mystified scientists. Now, a study from Harvard Medical School reveals how certain tumors develop a taste for fat as their life-sustaining fuel.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-09-scientists-molecular-cancers-fat.html
Medical researchThu, 15 Sep 2016 13:11:06 ESTnews393163787Prospect of shorter treatment and cure for chronic myelogenous leukemiaAlthough targeted drugs like Gleevec have revolutionized the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), patients generally must take them for the rest of their lives and may cease benefiting from them over time. In new research that could suggest a road to a cure, scientists at Harvard-affiliated Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital have found that CML stem cells die when a protein called Ezh2 is inhibited. Drugs that target the protein are currently in clinical trials for other cancers.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-09-prospect-shorter-treatment-chronic-myelogenous.html
CancerThu, 15 Sep 2016 06:24:10 ESTnews393139436Library of Evidence to aid radiology imaging decisions, curb wasteful testsDo a middle-aged man's lightning-bolt headaches spell a garden-variety migraine, or do they call for a brain MRI to rule out more pernicious causes? Does a young woman's recurring flank pain warrant a CT scan, or is she better off undergoing an ultrasound?http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-09-library-evidence-aid-radiology-imaging.html
OtherTue, 13 Sep 2016 08:06:39 ESTnews392972787Accountable care model savings on the upswingAfter a debut year marked by early promise but net losses, the Medicare Shared Savings Program went on to generate net savings in its second year of existence, according to research from Harvard Medical School.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-09-accountable-upswing.html
HealthMon, 12 Sep 2016 15:32:19 ESTnews392913130Scientists film bacteria's maneuvers as they become impervious to drugsIn a creative stroke inspired by Hollywood wizardry, scientists from Harvard Medical School and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have designed a simple way to observe how bacteria move as they become impervious to drugs.http://phys.org/news/2016-09-scientists-bacteria-maneuvers-impervious-drugs.html
Cell & MicrobiologyThu, 08 Sep 2016 14:00:08 ESTnews392556446Researchers identify new mechanisms by which new neurons sharpen memoriesWhen it comes to the billions of neurons in your brain, what you see at birth is what get—except in the hippocampus. Buried deep underneath the folds of the cerebral cortex, neural stem cells in the hippocampus continue to generate new neurons, inciting a struggle between new and old as the new attempts to gain a foothold in memory-forming center of the brain.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-09-memories-stronger-precise-aging.html
NeuroscienceThu, 01 Sep 2016 12:00:01 ESTnews391929533Scientists identify spark plug that ignites nerve cell demise in ALSScientists from Harvard Medical School have identified a key instigator of nerve cell damage in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, a progressive and incurable neurodegenerative disorder.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-08-scientists-ignites-nerve-cell-demise.html
NeuroscienceWed, 24 Aug 2016 15:21:59 ESTnews391270905Genetic tests for potentially fatal heart anomaly can misdiagnose condition in black AmericansGenetic testing has greatly improved physicians' ability to detect potentially lethal heart anomalies among asymptomatic family members of people who suffer cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac death.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-08-genetic-potentially-fatal-heart-anomaly.html
GeneticsWed, 17 Aug 2016 17:00:03 ESTnews390654230Brain cell chatter persists even after dismantling key component of neurons' communication machineryNeuroscientists have long known that brain cells communicate with each other through the release of tiny bubbles packed with neurotransmitters—a fleet of vessels docked along neuronal ends ready to launch when a trigger arrives.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-08-neuron-hardy-bunch.html
NeuroscienceWed, 17 Aug 2016 12:00:02 ESTnews390648809New family of bacterial cell wall builders: Discovery overturns dogma, revealing potential targetHarvard Medical School scientists have identified a new family of proteins that virtually all bacteria use to build and maintain their cell walls.http://phys.org/news/2016-08-family-bacterial-cell-wall-builders.html
Cell & MicrobiologyMon, 15 Aug 2016 11:00:11 ESTnews390474776Phone checklist can help detect changes in clinical status among home care recipientsA simple phone checklist can help detect telltale changes in the health status of people receiving nonmedical home care, according to the findings of a pilot study led by investigators at Harvard Medical School.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-08-checklist-clinical-status-home-recipients.html
HealthFri, 12 Aug 2016 10:00:01 ESTnews390214229Patient safety found to be unaffected by disruption of switching to electronic health recordsAs waves of hospitals move from older methods of record keeping to new digital electronic health record (EHR) systems, many medical professionals express fears that implementing an EHR system in their hospital will have dire results, including more errors and higher patient mortality.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-07-patient-safety-unaffected-disruption-electronic.html
HealthThu, 28 Jul 2016 06:17:59 ESTnews388905468Better understanding of glucosamine action may help to avoid birth defects in diabetic pregnancies Most pregnant women with well-controlled diabetes give birth to healthy children. But their babies run much higher risks of birth defects than babies born to women without diabetes, because very early in embryonic development, the babies are exposed to higher levels of glucose in maternal blood.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-07-glucosamine-action-birth-defects-diabetic.html
DiabetesWed, 27 Jul 2016 07:40:01 ESTnews388823562DNA analyses reveal genetic identities of world's first farmersConducting the first large-scale, genome-wide analyses of ancient human remains from the Near East, an international team led by Harvard Medical School has illuminated the genetic identities and population dynamics of the world's first farmers.http://phys.org/news/2016-07-dna-analyses-reveal-genetic-identities.html
Archaeology & FossilsMon, 25 Jul 2016 11:47:40 ESTnews388666048Reopening avenues for attacking amyotrophic lateral sclerosisHarvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers at Harvard University and the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT have found evidence that bone marrow transplantation may one day be beneficial to a subset of patients suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neurodegenerative disorder more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-07-reopening-avenues-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis.html
NeuroscienceFri, 15 Jul 2016 16:00:20 ESTnews387817209Opioid unknowns: US hospitals vary nearly twofold in opioid prescribing ratesNearly 15 percent of opioid-naïve patients hospitalized under Medicare are discharged with a new prescription for opioids, according to a study published today in JAMA Internal Medicine.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-06-opioid-unknowns-hospitals-vary-twofold.html
MedicationsMon, 13 Jun 2016 11:00:10 ESTnews385015549